The Aachen Bismarck Tower is one of 173 still-standing towers and columns (of the 240 originally built), which were constructed in the

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

to commemorate the founder of the German state,

Otto von Bismarck Otto, Prince of Bismarck, Count of Bismarck-Schönhausen, Duke of Lauenburg (, ; 1 April 1815 – 30 July 1898), born Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck, was a conservative German statesman and diplomat. From his origins in the upper class of J ...

(1815-1898).

History

As with most Bismarck towers and columns, which were constructed between 1869 and 1934, the Aachen Bismarck Tower also had its beginning at the beginning of the 20th century. On 22 July 1907, through the efforts of the then mayor Philipp Veltman, the tower's construction was initiated. The idea for this project originated with the student society at

RWTH Aachen RWTH Aachen University (), also known as North Rhine-Westphalia Technical University of Aachen, Rhine-Westphalia Technical University of Aachen, Technical University of Aachen, University of Aachen, or ''Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hoch ...

. To realize the project, the committee came together with some influential Aachen citizens, under the chairmanship of retired

Gerichtsassessor In the German legal system, the obsolete designation Gerichtsassessor was held by judges or federal prosecutors, whose employment status today would be "on probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, orde ...

Robert Oskar Julius von Görschen (1829-1914). On 26 April 1904 the city council voted to support construction under the motto ''"...des nationalen Gedankens wegen wie auch der Festigung und Erhaltung der Eintracht unserer Stadt“'', which translates roughly to, "To the idea of nationhood, as well as for the strengthening and preservation of the unity of our city". It was also in commemoration of the fact that Otto von Bismarck served as a government clerk in Aachen before he entered politics.

Description

The Aachen Bismarck Tower was designed by

Georg Frentzen Georg may refer to: * ''Georg'' (film), 1997 *Georg (musical), Estonian musical * Georg (given name) * Georg (surname) * , a Kriegsmarine coastal tanker See also * George (disambiguation) George may refer to: People * George (given name) * ...

(1854-1923), and was built after obtaining permission from the company Boswau & Knauer in Berlin. The tower is semicircular, with a base around five meters high, which is divided into five identical segments with two staircases. A one-meter high stone parapet sits above it and is supported by multi-part frieze battlements. Above the base level, there is an axially-symmetrical lower level that is roughly eleven meters high and which contains three arched portals. Above the portals are basalt busts of Otto von Bismarck,

Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke Helmuth is both a masculine German given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name; *Helmuth Theodor Bossert (1889–1961), German art historian, philologist and archaeologist *Helmuth Duckadam (born 1959), Romanian forme ...

, and

Albrecht von Roon Albrecht Theodor Emil Graf von Roon (; 30 April 180323 February 1879) was a Prussian soldier and statesman. As Minister of War from 1859 to 1873, Roon, along with Otto von Bismarck and Helmuth von Moltke, was a dominating figure in Prussia's ...

, which were designed by Prof. Karl Krauss. Above the lower level sits the actual tower, 9.8 meters high, square and made up of four stories, arranged in the stylized form of the letter "B". The tower is topped by an observation deck, reachable by two staircases. The topmost segment of the monument consists of a 5 Meter high ducal crown originally constructed with a mounted

Globus cruciger The ''globus cruciger'' ( for, , Latin, cross-bearing orb), also known as "the orb and cross", is an orb surmounted by a cross. It has been a Christian symbol of authority since the Middle Ages, used on coins, in iconography, and with a sceptre ...

, instead of the customary brazier normally associated with Bismarck towers. Directly below the ducal crown, Bismarck's coat of arms are attached. The Globus cruciger meanwhile can no longer be seen, as it was possibly removed for renovation before 1986. The Bismarck Tower has always been popular as a lookout, and after the last renovation work between 1999 and 2005, it remains accessible and still serves as a popular destination for the public. It is located in a cemetery in

Burtscheid Burtscheid ( la, Porcetum) is a district of the city of Aachen, part of the Aachen-Mitte Stadtbezirk. It is a health resort. History It was inhabited since ancient times by Celts and Romans, who were attracted by the presence of hot springs. Bu ...

References

External links

Das gekrönte "B" nahe der belgischen Grenze – Der Bismarckturm in Aachen
auf bismarcktuerme.de

auf www.aachen-burtscheid.de {{Coord, 50, 44, 48, N, 6, 6, 23, E, display=title Towers completed in 1907

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...